Stop motion

[Mr-Joe]

Hi, I want to shoot a claymation with the dvx,

Do you think the best way of doing this is to get a program that will let me capture individual frames, then export it as a video and open it in an editing program and put it together?

If so are there any programs you recommend, I just downloaded this one called Monkeyjam,

It seems pretty easy, i plug up the camera open the camera capture, set my frame rate, then click the capture button to take the still, when you are all done you can export it as a avi,

I have not tested it yet just looked aat the program, but my next question, is there a difference with picture quality with certain programs, or does that all just depend on the camera?

Thank you.

 

[Rosestar]

There are programs to capture frames using firewire from DV cams, here is one

file://localhost/Applications/Stop%20Motion%20Studio%201.4/Manual.html

I think that it is MAC only, but you can check it out.

I have done stop motion using normal dv. Set-up the camera and start recording, move the object you are animating and just make sure that you get your hands out of the shot for every move. When you are done, load the footage into your NLE, then pull frames from each shot into your time line. I use "twos", in that I use 2 frames from each shot to make the animation. It saves time and still remains smooth. This method is a tad labor intensive in post, but saves time when shooting. And it don't cost nothing!.

 

[sink]

if you really want to get into it buy Stop Motion Pro, if you're a student its only like $100, or $250 otherwise. Its a tad buggy depending on your system but if you have a problem they respond very quickly, and actually want you to be happy with it, unlike some software companies..

www.stopmotionpro.com

 

[scharky]

I personally would use a digital SLR, it will save you time and give you better results in the long run. I have been working on a short film now for quite a while, as most people around here can tell you, and I incorporated quite a bit of stop motion (live action) in it. I decided to go with a digital SLR, at the lowest settings (about 1540px) and the results were pheonominal, and it cut together great with the normal DVX footage that I used.
Good luck in your project, and "AWAKE" (my film) will finally be done later this month.